The PhET Activities Database is a collection of resources for using PhET sims. It includes hundreds of lesson plans, homework assignments, labs, clicker questions, and more. Some activities have been created by the PhET team and some have been created by teachers.

This lesson unit is intended to help teachers assess how well students are able to formulate and solve problems using algebra and, in particular, to identify and help students who have the following difficulties: solving a problem using two linear equations with two variables; and interpreting the meaning of algebraic expressions.

An interactive applet and associated web page that show the definition of a horizontal line in coordinate geometry. The applet has two points that the user can drag which define a line. The line flagged when it is horizontal (slope=0) and the equation of the line is shown. The grid, details and coordinates can be turned on and off. The applet can be printed exactly as it appears on the screen to make handouts. The web page has a discussion on how to test for horizontal, the line equation and has links to other pages relating to coordinate geometry. Applet can be enlarged to full screen size for use with a classroom projector. This resource is a component of the Math Open Reference Interactive Geometry textbook project at http://www.mathopenref.com.

This resource was created by the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. 

This question examines the algebraic equations for three different spheres. The intersections of each pair of spheres are then studied, both using the equations and thinking about the geometry of the spheres. For two spheres where one is not contained inside of the other there are three possibilities for how they intersect.

This is a task from the Illustrative Mathematics website that is one part of a complete illustration of the standard to which it is aligned. Each task has at least one solution and some commentary that addresses important asects of the task and its potential use. Here are the first few lines of the commentary for this task: Sara's doctor tells her she needs between 400 and 800 milligrams of folate per day, with part coming from her diet and part coming from a multi-vitamin...

This is a task from the Illustrative Mathematics website that is one part of a complete illustration of the standard to which it is aligned. Each task has at least one solution and some commentary that addresses important aspects of the task and its potential use.

Algebra students need practice determining equations of lines given a pair of points, or the line parallel or perpendicular to a given line through a given point. This Demonstration, along with guiding worksheets or a teacher presentation, gives students a chance to see the relationships between these lines and points.

Interactive Desmos activities that are associated with Units of the Secondary Math II - Mathematics Vision Project (MVP) curriculum.
Teachers will want to create a class code to share with students to monitor student progress as they work through the Desmos activities for each of the lessons.

 Modeling Our World with Mathematics Unit 4: Finances for Life Topic 3 - Business

Modeling Our World with Mathematics Unit 1: Health & Fitness Topic 2 - Sports & Fitness

This resource was created by the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. 

Student teams are challenged to evaluate the design of several liquid soaps to answer the question, “Which soap is the best?” Through two simple teacher class demonstrations and the activity investigation, students learn about surface tension and how it is measured, the properties of surfactants (soaps), and how surfactants change the surface properties of liquids. As they evaluate the engineering design of real-world products (different liquid dish washing soap brands), students see the range of design constraints such as cost, reliability, effectiveness and environmental impact. By investigating the critical micelle concentration of various soaps, students determine which requires less volume to be an effective cleaning agent, factors related to both the cost and environmental impact of the surfactant. By investigating the minimum surface tension of the soap, students determine which dissolves dirt and oil most effectively and thus cleans with the least effort. Students evaluate these competing criteria and make their own determination as to which of five liquid soaps make the “best” soap, giving their own evidence and scientific reasoning. They make the connection between gathered data and the real-world experience in using these liquid soaps.

In earlier modules, students analyze the process of solving equations and developing fluency in writing, interpreting, and translating between various forms of linear equations (Module 1) and linear and exponential functions (Module 3). These experiences combined with modeling with data (Module 2), set the stage for Module 4. Here students continue to interpret expressions, create equations, rewrite equations and functions in different but equivalent forms, and graph and interpret functions, but this time using polynomial functions, and more specifically quadratic functions, as well as square root and cube root functions.

This is a task from the Illustrative Mathematics website that is one part of a complete illustration of the standard to which it is aligned. Each task has at least one solution and some commentary that addresses important asects of the task and its potential use. Here are the first few lines of the commentary for this task: It takes Clea 60 seconds to walk down an escalator when it is not operating, and only 24 seconds to walk down the escalator when it is operating. How m...

This engineering design challenge is a great hands-on activity that utilizes the engineering design process, 3D modeling, and 3D printing technology. The challenge can be completed individually or in groups of 2 to 3. Students will work to complete the following challenge: Using the design process, design, document, model, and produce a toy car with interchangeable parts.

Modeling Our World with Mathematics Unit 4: Finances for Life Topic 1 - Introduction to Finance 

This resource is geared for teacher use. It is loosely linked to the Secondary Math II, Mathematics Vision Project curriculum. 

Modeling Our World with Mathematics Unit 5: Digital World Topic 1 - Digital Presence